North Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

Ecosystems Committee will meet Sunday, December 7, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 4:00 p.m. The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) will meet beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, continuing through Tuesday, December 9. The Advisory Panel (AP) will begin meeting at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, December 8, and continue through Thursday, December 11. The Council's regular plenary session will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 9, and continue through Sunday, December 14. Other workgroup or committee meetings may be held during the week. Notices of these meetings will be posted at the hotel. The agenda for the Council's plenary session will include the following issues. The Council may take appropriate action on any of the issues identified. 1. Reports from NMFS and Alaska Department of Fish and Game on the current status of the fisheries off Alaska, and NMFS and U.S. Coast Guard reports on enforcement; 2. Initial review of a draft analysis for a third-party arrangement (joint project agreement) for observer procurement services; 3. Receive report on the 1997 Halibut and Sablefish individual fishing quota (IFQ) fisheries; 4. Review proposals received for changes to the Halibut and Sablefish IFQ fisheries and give direction to staff for analyses; 5. Initial review of research priorities; 6. Review and consider releasing to public review draft environmental assessment/regulatory impact review for the Bering Sea/ Aleutian Islands (BSAI) pollock Community Development Quota program for 1999 and beyond; 7. Appointments to the SSC and AP for 1998, and to the Pacific Northwest Crab Industry Advisory Committee through 1999; 8. Review and give final approval to Amendment 3 to the Scallop Fishery Management Plan. Amendment 3 would delegate authority to the State of Alaska to manage the scallop fishery off Alaska; 9. The Council will receive and approve the final 1998 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation reports for Gulf of Alaska and BSAI groundfish and approve final 1998 harvest allocations, including vessel incentive program rate standards, bycatch allowances, and halibut discard mortality rates; and 10. Other groundfish issues to be addressed include: a. Initial review of an amendment for stand-down and/or preregistration requirements in the Western and Central Gulf of Alaska. Direction to staff to release for public review and/or revise;. b. Initial review of options to streamline the setting of total allowable catches; directions to staff to release for public review and/or revise; c. Initial review of an amendment to allocate shortraker/rougheye quota to fixed gear; directions to staff to release for public review and/or revise; d. Discussion of limited processing for catcher vessels; direction to staff; e. Discussion of overfishing amendments; direction to staff; f. Discussion of catch reporting accuracy; g. Discussion of gear storage and preemption issues in the BSAI; direction to staff; h. Discussion of salmon retention revisions for the BSAI; direction to staff; and i. Discussion of pollock ``B'' Season adjustments in the BSAI; direction to staff. Although other issues not contained in this agenda may come before this Council for discussion, in accordance

with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, those issues may not be the subject of formal Council action during the meeting. Council action will be restricted to those issues specifically identified in the agenda listed in this notice.

Special Accommodations

These meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to Helen Allen, 907-271-2809, at least 5 working days prior to the meeting date.

Dated: November 12, 1997. Bruce C. Morehead, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 97-30254 Filed 11-17-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-22-F